It has been more than 20 years since Latvia freed itself from Russia and Communism; there’s a generation that’s grown up in the heady air, and the six women of Tautumeitas (evidently pronounced Tautu-MAY-tas to avoid an offensive word) are among them. They’re part of the second Latvian folk revival – the first was part of the 1970s cultural resistance against the Russians – and their debut is full of joy, eagerly grabbing the country’s tradition and pulling it into the 21st century.
They bring big arrangements and choruses to the tradition, but keep the multi-part polyphonic singing that’s at the heart of Latvian music (historically performed by women). Instrumentally, on top of their own violins and accordion, there’s jaw harp, bass, and some electronic programming that gives plenty of punch to the sound. Even before this CD appeared, the band was already known in their homeland through a track put together by producer Reinis Sējāns, which was used in a TV documentary on Latvian history. From: https://www.rootsworld.com/reviews/tautu-19.shtml
